Author Q&A

Gender transition isn’t something people think of as a funny experience. Where does humor fit into this memoir?

When I came to understand that I needed to transition away from being a woman, I read pretty ravenously about the process, others who’d done it, the medical expectations, and the legal reality. And I dove into online discussions, like I write about in the book. But so much of it was dead serious, or focused on the limitations of the process. There wasn’t anything that I came across at the time that was lighthearted or that poked fun at any of it. I find that a sense of humor winds up being a way of finding strength in tough circumstances, so humor is the lens for the whole memoir, just as it served me well as I transitioned.

Why did cellophane ever seem like a good way to bind your chest?

More than one person told me it would work. I think they were binding a very small chest with it. It really works a lot better in the abstract than in real life. I found that out pretty quickly.

What’s the main message of the book?

Demand respect for yourself. Life really is too short to let others dictate who you are and who you ought to be. Most people don’t have to go as far as becoming the opposite gender or declaring they’re something other than the sex they were assigned at birth. So if some of us can turn our worlds upside down like this, the rest of us should be able to demand respect for who we are, too. Meanwhile, gender as we’ve constructed it is funny. Those are the salient points.

What do you have in arm’s reach when you sit down to write?

A coffee beverage of some sort, fully caffeinated, my iPod, laptop, notebook, couple of pens. I like to keep the list short so I’m portable and can write most anywhere.

When did you think you should put your sex change experience into a book?

I spent a lot of time on the Internet when I was figuring things out for myself, so I actually started writing about some of the process then. Certainly I wrote about a lot of the medical drama, over on LiveJournal and a few discussion boards. I needed to laugh to get through some of the more challenging moments. A few of those experiences made it into the book. It wasn’t until I landed in Washington State, though, that I seriously thought about turning it all into a memoir.

How long did you write Bumbling, and what period does it cover?

I took about a year to write Bumbling and make several revisions to the text. It covers the first weeks I seriously started to consider gender transition, through the social and medical process, and then after I’d told everyone in my personal life. That’s a period of about five years. So folks anxious to see me recount junior high, you’re out of luck. And nobody needs to go there, anyway.

What happened after Bumbling ends? What’s the next chapter?

My partner and I moved across the country to tiny Walla Walla, Washington, which incidentally, is where Bugs Bunny wound up after he made a wrong turn at Albuquerque. And then we started trying to have a baby. I’m pretty sure there’s another memoir in there, because that was a hell of an experience.

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Endorsements

"Everett's work is luminous, brilliant, thoughtful and brave. I am so proud to be on this earth with him. He is who we all fight for, and he is the future of our community."
—Margaret Cho, comedian and author of I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight

"Everett Maroon has written a book that is brave, funny, smart, and true. I admire his courage, his wit, his unflinching eye, and most of all, his persistance and determination to be himself. This book is a gift from a very generous writer. The story of Everett's journey will stay with me for a very long time."
—Lesléa Newman, author of October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard and Heather Has Two Mommies

"Reading Bumbling into Body Hair by Everett Maroon—LOVE IT! Great message for trans folk on being our whole selves—AND it's funny."
—Kate Bornstein, author of My New Gender Workbook and A Queer and Pleasant Danger

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All of the writing on this blog, unless I have otherwise noted or cited it, is the creation and sole property of Everett Maroon. No writing from Transplantportation.com may be reproduced or used without my express written permission. For permission to reproduce or use my writing, please email me at ev.maroon at gmail dot com.